Re: Fashion, starched collars & labels

[Guest guest]

> From: kirilimetodi@...

> Subject: Re: Re: Fashion? What doesn't itch!

>

> Fashion...yeah, I'm the same way. I wear black t-shirts which go GREAT with

> white cat hair, by the way. I have a thing about my skin touching my own skin

Yeah, I have white cat hair problems too. Often I just turn the " A " shirt inside

out and put it on again and I'm ready to go. Those new hanes shirts aren't cut

as

well as the previous ones but at least there's no sew-in label anymore. Rather,

they've gone to screen printing manf'g info at the back neck in bright red...

> Does starch in shirt collars bother anyone else? It drives me up the wall.

I know what you mean. The solution for this may be to have your shirts laundered

with no application of starch every other visit to the cleaners. And then, only

light starch. I actually got a cut from a rigidly pressed cuff once. Also, you

can " soften " these hard collars/cuffs a bit before putting them on by hanging

your shirt in the bathroom while you're showering. Your last solution may be to

-once yearly- have all of the residual starch removed from your shirts by having

them dry-cleaned...but that's your choice (I really, really hate dry cleaning).

I'd still have them laundered afterwards before wearing them again if you're

paranoid about the chemicals which are essentially derivative of kerosene and

the

like.

________________________________________________________________________

>

> Subject: Re: Fashion? What doesn't itch!

>

> I buy as soon as I get them home. I don't buy clothes with

> lizards or Nike swoop logos, and I even carefully cut off the

> leather or plastic labels for Levi's or Wranglers or whatever

> that they sew on the backs of jeans, above the right pocket.

> It doesn't matter if the thing itches or not, I *don't* wear

> labels.

I really resent " brand marketing " ; I don't think it's necessary if one is

putting

out good product. Rather than spew a book length diatribe, I'll limit my opinion

to just one sentence; it wreaks havoc amongst the socially obsessed and instills

(and legitimizes) a corrupted/co-opted value system.

If anyone is interested, I'd recommend visiting http://www.adbusters.org where

you can find like-minded kindred.

Kathleen

=====

http://www.designer-entrepreneurs.com

~~~~Nurture people, not products~~~~

[Guest guest]

> From: acsnag@...

> Subject: Re: Re: Fashion, starched collars & labels

>

> designer-entrepreneurs.com wrote:

>

> > I know what you mean. The solution for this may be to have your shirts

> > laundered

> > with no application of starch every other visit to the cleaners. And

> > then, only light starch.

>

> The real solution, the only one I have used for the last 30 years is NO

> starch. I request my shirts laundered, on hangers, no starch.

> A.

You mean, the " real solution " for you. That may not necessarily apply to

every/any one else. While repeated starching contributes to build-up that people

(like us) may find uncomfortable, occasional starching of shirts can

*significantly* increase the life of the shirt. Starch permeates the weave of

the

fabric creating a layer for absorption of perspiration or stains, the latter are

then washed out. Starch (usually vegetable, corn) doesn't close the weave or

make

it any less breathable but it does reduce the number of stains that are absorbed

into the fiber of the woven threads. Similarly, as starch acts to coat fibers

which strengthen them, this makes threads less susceptible to fraying or

degradation which lengthen the life of collars and cuffs (most typical sites of

abrasion).

I'd stop short of saying " no-starch " is the " real solution " for everyone,

although I'm glad that works for you. Some people may find the soil releasent

properties of occasional starching to be well-worth the trade-off for a shirt

that can last twice as long. Not everyone has the financial resources to

replenish their clothing as often as you do.

Kathleen

=====

http://www.designer-entrepreneurs.com

~~~~Nurture people, not products~~~~

[Guest guest]

Kathleen wrote:

>...While repeated starching contributes to build-up that people

>(like us) may find uncomfortable, occasional starching of shirts can

>*significantly* increase the life of the shirt....

>Starch (usually vegetable, corn) doesn't close the weave or make

>it any less breathable but it does reduce the number of stains that are

>absorbed into the fiber of the woven threads. Similarly, as starch

>acts to coat fibers which strengthen them, this makes threads less

>susceptible to fraying or degradation which lengthen the life of

>collars and cuffs (most typical sites of abrasion).

I handle stains by recognizing that they are stains. In

other words, if it's a stain, it's not dirt. A clean

shirt that has a stain on it is still a clean shirt, so

it's okay to wear. This is a useful attitude for me to

have, because I so often get cat claws diggning into me

(just cats holding on, nothing malicious), and I also

tend to prick myself in the stomach with my big needles

when pulling them through tough fabric or several layers

of fabric (usually when closing or jointing). Many of

my shirts have " freckles " of blood stains above the

waist and/or on the shoulders.

As for fraying....when the cuffs of a long-sleeved shirt

get too frayed, I remove the sleeves and the sleeveless

shirt shifts from being cool/cold weather garb to being

hot weather garb.

Jane (using starch never occured to me, though Kathleen's

description of what starch does is very interesting)